Attalla talks sewer deposit change

ATTALLA - A complaint about the sewer deposit implemented this year in Attalla would mean changing a sewer ordinance for the fifth time in about a year.

Jerry Mabrey, who owns rental property and is a former city employee, wants council members to consider decreasing the $80 deposit.

"I don't have any problem with y'all charging a deposit," he said.

Mabrey said the reason he wants to see a decrease in the deposit amount is because "high deposits" deter people moving into the city.

"I get people coming to me saying I can't pay my deposits on water and sewer," Mabrey said, referring also to the $100 deposit required by the Attalla Water Works Board for water connections on rental property.

That board collects the sewer fee for the city from customers in the city limits and those in the county who have water accounts with the board.

Board office manager Joy Baker said people wanting service must show a sewer deposit receipt from the city and pay the water deposit, $100 for renters and $30 for homeowners, before connecting to the system.

Mabrey said he considered the $80 deposit for sewer service "a little high" because "the water board, they're not going to let you go very long without paying."

Council member Lesa Osborn said she knew that was a fact from knowledge of the board terminating water service after 10 days.

Mabrey said a deposit of less than $80 would help movers and landlords.

"The reason this came up was I rented a duplex here and the people paid me the rent and didn't move in," Mabrey said, explaining he wondered what was wrong.

He soon learned the renters stayed with family until they had the deposit money so they could move into the duplex.

"Another time I rented a duplex and they moved from one side of it to the other and it cost them $90," Mabrey said.

That amount included a $10 transfer fee for water and the $80 deposit for sewer because it was a new connection and no deposit was required by the city before this year.

Osborn questioned whether any customer would have an $80 sewer bill to "walk away from" by moving, alluding to the deposit being implemented partially to help the city recoup money on unpaid balances.

"They're never going to get that far past due because the water board is not going to let them get past due more than 10 days," Osborn said.

Councilman Kenneth Simmons wondered what would happen to the deposits already paid if the city were to decrease the amount required.

City Attorney Clarence Rhea said the affected customers would need to be credited for their payments.

Council member Virginia Smith said the matter should have been handled when the deposit was approved.

"Why didn't we work this out when we made the changes to the sewer fees?" she said. "Why come back and change it now?"

Osborn said, "It's going to make people think we have a heart. I don't want to deter people from moving into the city."

She stressed, "We can't think of everything," and noted the council dealt with many issues in updating its sewer ordinance, which included a new rate structure for seven classifications.

"That's true, but this should've been worked out then," Smith said. "You make one decision, you stick to it and you don't change."

Mayor Charles O'Rear noted the council approved the deposit amount without opposition.

Simmons agreed, saying, "Nobody said it was too high."

Mabrey discussed the matter with council members during a pre-council session Oct. 20 and stressed he did not expect the council to make a change without thinking about it for a while.

The council adopted its updated sewer ordinance last October when it approved the first rate increase in 13 years.

The fourth and most recent change to that law occurred when the council met in a called session in February to amend the ordinance to remove a 20 percent per month charge on top of base rates for sewer connections outside the city limits.

Council members said they wanted that change because they did not realize the 20 percent fee was on top of the base rates established when customers were categorized into seven classifications. Those categories stipulate rural customers pay more than those inside the city limits.

Discussion on what would have been a fifth change to the sewer ordinance took place in March when a council member said two sewer bills should not apply to those who have a water meter for their residence and another meter for a sprinkler system.

That matter was handled without a formal change in the ordinance.

The sewer law initially changed Oct. 7 when council members approved increased fees and implemented rate classifications for customers.

The law was clarified in January to specifically require an $80 deposit for sewer connection. It also changed at the council's Feb. 3 meeting to clarify the 20 percent fee was to be charged per month and to outline guidelines for multi-unit dwellings.

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